The last time U.S. President Donald Trump attended a G7 summit in Canada, the defining image was him sitting with arms crossed in defiance, as then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel leaned in, visibly frustrated.
As this year’s G7 summit begins Monday in Canada’s Rocky Mountains, the unspoken goal among leaders seems to be preventing any dramatic confrontations amid already tense global conditions.
Back in 2018, the summit ended on a sour note, with Trump attacking his Canadian hosts on social media while aboard Air Force One. He declared that he had instructed U.S. officials remaining in Quebec not to back the joint statement signed by the other G7 leaders from Japan, France, the U.K., Italy, Germany, and Canada.
“We’re not endorsing the Communique,” Trump posted at the time, citing concerns over auto tariffs and trade imbalances.
